Trump administration says it has no plans for ICE officers at polls. Activists are preparing, anyway

WASHINGTON (AP) — With early voting already underway, a question worrying some voters is what role — if any — immigration enforcement officers might have at polling places through Election Day. Lyons has since left the position.A Department of Homeland Security official also told state election administrators that immigration agents will not be stationed at the polls for the midterms.In September, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused Democrats of “fearmongering” in raising concerns over ICE officers going to polling places. He said officers won't go to patrol or monitor polling places broadly, but could go for specific reasons such as arresting someone if they have a warrant or are responding to a threat.Earlier this year, Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was then the deputy attorney general, also weighed in on the issue, saying: “Why are there objections to sending ICE officers to polling places?

Illegals can't vote.”Trump, who has repeatedly raised the specter of widespread illegal noncitizen voting even as research and investigations show it is incredibly rare, hasn't said he would direct ICE officers to be at polling places but also hasn't ruled it out. When asked in May if he would send the National Guard or ICE to voting locations in November, he said: “I’d do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections. We have to have honest elections.”In a Time magazine interview published Thu…